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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Cosplay is NOT Consent

Instead of writing about the events of
today's Comic-Con, I'd like to focus on a single encounter that
essentially defined my day.

After successfully picking up some swag
from the Plants vs. Zombies booth, I was approached by a woman. The
conversation went like this:

Woman: You know EVERYONE can see down
your top.

Me: Excuse me? I am wearing a shirt
under my corset.

Woman: Doesn't matter. EVERYONE can
see down your top.

Me: I don't see what the problem is.
I am covered up.

Woman: It doesn't mater. [At this
point, I believe she says] It makes it seem like you have something
that you don't.

The woman and I walked away from each
other, and I was left in shock. My cosplay outfit of the day
consisted of a sleeveless shirt with lace shoulders, a long black
bustle skirt, and an overbust corset on top of the shirt. I did not feel my cosplay was
inappropriate in any way. Moreover, why did it matter what I was wearing? Why did it bother her so much that she took the effort to
approach me?

Conventions are one of the few times
people can come out of their shell and dress in unique ways. For
me, cosplay is one of the big reasons I attend conventions, and I
take pride in the outfits I put together. I strongly believe that
wearing cosplay does NOT give others consent to harass or make unwanted advances. There should
be no place for such negativity in an environment where everyone is
simply trying to have fun.

This is not the first time I've been
victimized by sexual harassment at a convention. While dressed up as
Pinkie Pie during FanimeCon, an individual made negative comments
about what I was wearing. I realize that I probably should have
brushed off these comments, but at both Comic-Con and FanimeCon they
bothered me enough that I went back to my hotel and changed.

I share my story because I want to
prevent other con-goers from experiencing the shame and
self-consciousness that I felt today. Harassment can ruin someone's
convention experience, so please be respectful and keep your mouth
shut if someone's dress does not please your personal aesthetic.
Let's keep Comic-Con and other conventions a safe place for
self-expression and creativity.